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1 year ago in Academic Scholarship By Rinku

How does interdisciplinary scholarship get evaluated for tenure when it doesn’t fit neatly into department silos?

My work blends history of science and digital media studies. I'm worried my tenure committee, composed of traditional historians, won't know how to judge my publications in media journals or my digital projects. How do I ensure my scholarship is understood and valued fairly?

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By Aaron Answered 9 months ago

The key is proactive education and translation. Years before your tenure case, meet with each committee member to explain your research program and its contribution to their interests—how does your digital media work inform historical inquiry? In your tenure dossier, include a clear, concise narrative that defines the intellectual gap your interdisciplinary work fills. Crucially, secure external review letters from leading scholars in each of your constituent fields. The letter writers should be asked to comment on your standing within their discipline. This provides the committee with disciplinary validation they trust. Also, publish in the flagship journals of your home department's discipline at least once to demonstrate you can speak that language. Frame your interdisciplinarity not as a lack of focus, but as a unique strength that creates new knowledge at the intersections.

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